About Us

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Mission

The mission of the Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute is to promote and foster entrepreneurial practices through education, outreach, and research. We seek to inspire, innovate, integrate, and implement new ways of thinking, to positively impact students, the regional economy, the state of Louisiana, and the nation.

We are a multidisciplinary institute that serves the University and the local business community, and we work closely with our partner, the Louisiana Business & Technology Center to assist in economic development and small business development-related endeavors. A generous donation by LSU alumni Emmet and Toni Stephenson has enabled us to continue to elevate LSU's entrepreneurship and economic development programs to new heights.

Programs

The institute offers a number of programs and events designed to promote innovative approaches to identifying needs and solving problems through an entrepreneurial view of opportunity, recognition, and realization.

Certified Louisiana Economic Developer Program: Open enrollment program designed for economic development professionals. Courses are tailored to the state of Louisiana and may be taken independently or as part of the certification track.

Entrepreneurship Fellows Program: The multi-disciplinary Entrepreneurship Fellows Program is a year-long work/study program designed to encourage business and entrepreneurial practices in a select group of undergraduate students. The program provides students with the opportunity to network with and be mentored by top executives thereby giving these students an extra edge upon graduation.

Educational Offerings

The Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute administers and supports various programs that provide students with the experience and networking that are essential to entrepreneurship. Our vision is of a university community that embraces leadership in innovation, creative thinking, and development of the region to make it a better place to live and work. Our ultimate goal is to see that every individual at LSU, in any field of study, has the chance for education and experience in entrepreneurship.

The Executive Education program offers mid-career managers an intellectually stimulating campus atmosphere where they can assess their effectiveness, update their abilities, and increase their awareness of the economic, social, and legal environments in which their companies function.

Research

The Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute supports scholarly and applied research in various fields of entrepreneurship across the LSU campus. We welcome and encourage interdisciplinary research collaborations between all LSU colleges and schools.